Now in Lilac and Fresh Mown Grass Scents
by Kodou Kikoeru
Summary: In a bout of Valentine's Day loneliness, Goten buys a Love Potion that is guaranteed to have Trunks fall for him.  However, when the potion seems to be working, will Goten be able to stand the guilt of forcing Trunks into this pseudorelationship?
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z, nor do I own Harry Potter. This doesn't really have any Harry Potter in it, but, to be fair, it was the inspiration. It's perfectly enjoyable whether you've read the book or not, though. Anyway, I would also like to say that this is the real "You Left This," which I abandoned a while back. And instead of the ridiculous seven-plus-chapter idea, this is going to be a pure-and-simple threeshot. Oh, and a quick overview of Presidents and Assholes for those unfamiliar, Presidents and Assholes is a card game, and pretty much all you need to know is that each round, a player is assigned to be President, if you're President you get to instate one new rule, and if a rule is broken, the player has to drink. Are you ready? Good! Let's go.

Chapter 1

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Goten rolled his eyes as he walked past the booths selling stuffed animals, chocolates, and jewelry. It was Valentine's Day to many, but to Goten, the anniversary of the day he truly realized he was in love with Trunks. Goten's face twitched into a frown involuntarily as he thought about this, walking past a woman he recognized as a Wal-Mart checkout cashier with beads and coins in her hair, pretending to read Tarot cards for an eagerly listening couple.

A pastel-blue stuffed kitten caught his eye, and he went over to poke it to test its softness. He then paused for a moment, deciding whether he should get it for Trunks. He liked getting things for Trunks, but he had to make them seem like friendly, rather than romantic, gestures. Goten will see him tonight. He actually would anyway, because they tend to drink beer and watch movies every Friday. But as it was Valentine's Day, they decided to have a sort of "Fuck Valentine's Day" party. This day, of all days, caused him to think of Trunks more, and it was this fact that made him so susceptible to the gypsy-dressed woman's selling tactics.

Her booth was not so much a booth as a tent, the color and texture of nude stockings, with the same sort of coins and beads hanging on the sides. A woman with a gown made of what looked like a brown version of the same material as the tent, asked if he needed any help, to which Goten shook his head. Inside the shelves were stocked with a disorganized array of knickknacks and strange vials that resembled emptied-out and refilled cologne bottles. On the sides of many was a piece of masking tape with the name of the potion. Goten hesitantly picked up a bottle with a pale pink liquid inside, opened it and sniffed it. It smelled slightly of lilac and mown grass. Goten cocked his eyebrow, turned to the woman, and asked, "What flavor is this?"

"I'm sorry, flavor?"

"Yeah, you know, I was thinking it would be strawberry or cherry, since it's pink."

"It's not a sweet, young man. It's a very powerful Love Potion."

Goten looked back down at the vial in his hand, sure enough, the masking tape did have the words "_LOVE POTION_" scrawled onto it hastily.

"Love Potion?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes, and a fast-acting one, at that. You should see results in about five minutes, and lasts for a full month."

"Ha, thanks but no thanks, ma'am," Goten replied, replacing the vial on the shelf.

"Young man, am I right in assuming that you are… single?"

"… Yes," Goten answered in an isn't-that-obvious tone.

"Yes, otherwise, I imagine you might've brought someone. I also suspect that there is someone for whom you pine. Someone you're waiting to respond to your advances."

"… Yes," Goten replied, a little surprised she knew this, but also a little annoyed at how personal she was getting. He began to make his way out of the door.

"Of course, a handsome young man like yourself can't be single for long unless he chooses to be," she replied with what came off as almost a cunning smile, like she knew he was being suckered in.

Goten tried to refuse acknowledging this compliment, but stayed rooted to the spot where she paid it to him.

"You're steadfast and you don't give up, young man. I admire that. I will make it clear, that the potion does not create love; it merely creates a sort of infatuation with you. But, it may be a nudge in the right direction," she said with an amused grin and a lightning-fast wink. "And even if it's not, you can still have the month together."

She waited for Goten to ponder over it. Goten's eyes moved over the room, staring at the curious objects sprawled on the shelves. Finally, he asked "How much is it?"

"It's twenty-two dollars. A bargain, really."

Goten's mouth twitched a little, but, after another second of pondering, grabbed his wallet, pulled out twenty-two dollars, and grabbed the vial. Taking the money, the woman smiled and said, "You won't be disappointed." Goten smiled back nervously in response and began to make his way to the exit, with the cologne bottle of Love Potion entirely inside his left hand.

"Make sure he drinks it all, young man," the woman called out. Goten looked back over his shoulder and nodded quickly. It wasn't until he was out of the tent and away from the strip of booths that he noticed she had said _he_.

---------

While an assortment of cheesy love songs played in the background, Trunks, Marron, Bra, and Goten danced, talked, laughed, and drank. After everyone had had a few, they started to play "Presidents and Assholes," (a drinking game with cards) which provided him with the ideal opportunity. During a shuffle, the Asshole of the round (Trunks) ordered Goten to get beers for everyone, and, as that is the Asshole's right, he did so.

He grabbed four bottles, opened them all, and took a healthy sip from one of them. He then reached into his pocket, popped open the bottle and sniffed the liquid again. It still smelled of lilac and mown grass, and he had no idea how Trunks was going to not notice it. Nonetheless, he poured the entirety of its contents into the emptier bottle. Shaking it for its last few drops, he threw away the vial, picked up the four beers (keeping the Love Potion one in his left hand), and returned to the game table, handing Trunks his first.

Until Trunks finished his beer, Goten kept eyeing him to see how much he had left. The gypsy said it would take five minutes. What would he do when it hit him? Would Trunks sweep the card table clean and begin making love to him? Goten shook his head and chuckled a little at the thought, sipping his beer. Trunks then pointed at Goten, and Goten froze.

"You didn't pull the man off."

"Oh shit," Goten replied, remembering that a President had introduced a rule in which you must pretend to pull an invisible man off of the top of your beer before drinking. He proceeded to pull the invisible man off and took his penalty sip. "Well, you have to drink for pointing."

"Oh yeah," replied Trunks, doing the same. "Well, you drink for swearing!"

Goten pulled the invisible man off and drank again. This game has a lot of rules when you play it for too long, he thought to himself, smiling. Trunks smiled back at him. Goten's cheeks turned a little pinker than they already were from alcohol.

They finished the hand shortly afterwards, and Trunks, having finally finished his drink due to a few more penalty calls from Goten, went to get drinks for himself and Goten, the only other one to have finished. He came back into the room and placed his hand gently on Goten's back as he placed the beer in front of him. A warm shiver ran down his spine as he took a sharp intake of breath, surprised at the contact. When they had become teenagers and stopped sparring as much, they rarely touched each other, in any way.

"Trunks…" Goten began.

"Goten,…" he replied, smiling.

Goten shook his head, unable to speak, but wanting to say "Nothing." He turned back to the table and saw Marron dealing out cards. Trunks went back to his seat, but instead of sitting down, made an elaborate show of yawning and exclaimed, "Well, I'm beat, I think I'm gonna call it a night."

"Aw, come on Trunks, just a few more hands?" pled Marron. Trunks shot her a look that screamed "no" without his having to say a word. "Oh, all right. Bra, do you want to come over to my house? We can finish playing there and maybe invite a couple of guys."  
"Sure, sounds good," replied Bra.

"Great!" Trunks said, beaming. "Great," he reiterated. "Well, we won't keep you."

Goten got up as well, and Trunks looked back at him, and then to the card table. Goten promptly sat back down as Trunks showed the girls out. When they were out of the house, Trunks rounded on Goten and smiled a broad smile that he looked like he was trying to restrain.

"Hey, Goten. Want to come up to my room?"

"… Your room? I thought you said you were going to bed."

"I just wanted them out of the house. Friday's just our night, though, you know?"

"Yeah," Goten said smiling. It couldn't be… the potion was working? Goten concentrated on not getting his hopes up.

"Come on, we can watch a movie or something."

They made their way up to Trunks's room and Trunks popped in the first movie on the shelf, which Goten didn't know the name of and didn't watch enough of to find out. No more than five minutes after they got there, Trunks, in a manner that he must have thought was casual, said that it was hot, and took off his shirt, leaving him in an undershirt and pants. Goten stole peeks at the outlines of his muscular chest while he was sure Trunks's eyes were on the screen.

Goten was becoming increasingly aware that the Love Potion must have taken effect. Deciding to test his boundaries, and feigning sleepiness or drunkenness, he leaned his head on Trunks's shoulder. Trunks was quick to react, petting and scratching the back of Goten's head. After a few minutes of that, Goten looked up into his eyes, and they slowly edged toward each other, before crashing their lips into each other. Pulling back for a second at first, both shocked at the step they had just taken, Trunks leaned back in and kissed Goten on the cheek, and then again on the lips. Trunks pulled his undershirt off, and Goten his T-shirt. They continued to kiss and explore each other with their hands until the drowsiness really had sunken in and both curled up, Goten using one of Trunks's arms as a pillow.

----------

That night Goten dreamt about Trunks, which was not at all unusual. However, this was not a happy dream, as they usually were. From what he could recall, Trunks stood tall on a pillar and looked angry, his face cast in shadow. "You tricked me," he bellowed.

"No, I didn't," Goten whimpered.

"Then what's this?" he asked, pulling out a bottle of beer.

"Beer?" he asked.

"Beer, you say?" he yelled back, turning the beer upside down as a pinkish liquid smelling of mown grass and lilac poured endlessly from the bottle.

"I'm sorry!" screamed Goten desperately.

Trunks scoffed and dropped the bottle so that it just missed Goten.

"Trunks!" Goten pled, but Trunks turned away. "Trunks!" he repeated.

And then Trunks turned back toward Goten, with a frantic expression on his face, "What? Are you OK?"

And Goten woke up.

The real Trunks repeated "Are you OK?"

Goten gave a sigh of relief. "Yeah," he replied, nodding his head to reiterate.

"Aw, sweetie, did you have a nightmare?" Trunks asked, with the winning smile returned to his face.

Goten nodded and smiled, knowing that Trunks wasn't mad with him. At least not yet. He would enjoy this while he could. Trunks hugged him and he squeezed back.

"What do you want to do today, Goten?"

Goten shrugged his shoulders, still unable to stop smiling. Trunks kissed him on the lips, having the same smiling problem.

However, Goten thought to himself, only he suffers from the guilt of forcing Trunks to be infatuated with him. There was some niceness to it coupled with the horrible discomfort of knowing that it's all artificial, all fake, this relationship he was starting.

Nonetheless, he reasoned, no point wasting 29 days with Trunks as a boyfriend. He smiled again, pushing the guilt out of his mind for the time being, and gave Trunks a kiss back.

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End Chapter 1.

To come in Chapter 2, Goten continues to feel guilty. Will he tell Trunks the truth about giving him the Love Potion? Would Trunks even believe him? Find out in Chapter 2!


	2. Chapter 2

Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z.

Explanation: Sorry, various circumstances (including but not limited to the release of the seventh Harry Potter book) have prevented me from doing anything with Chapter 2 for longer than I would have liked. The time between Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 (last chapter!) should be much shorter.

Chapter 2

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So Goten pushed the awkwardness of hypnotizing Trunks out of his mind and was able to relax and enjoy the company of his new boyfriend for the next week. By his estimation, the love potion would wear off about thirty days after he gave it to Trunks (presuming that the potion lasts a moon instead of from the fourteenth to the fourteenth).

Goten was constantly able to come up with things to do; he had been dreaming of this opportunity for years and, having presented itself, he could not help but take full advantage. They went to the park, had picnics, went canoeing, kissed under the stars, hiked, swam, and sometimes read to each other.

And yet whatever they did, however enjoyable it was, it was now hindered by the dull ache of knowing that it must come to an end, and soon. He tried to wave off this sensation, calling it silly -- but it was hard to know that in a short time, getting shorter by the second, the spell would be broken, and Trunks would no longer be infatuated with him.

And at some point, either at the end of February or the beginning of March, Goten woke up alone after having the same dream that occurred to him the night he gave Trunks the potion. It was then he realized that when Trunks came out of his trance, it would not be an unfortunate end to their romantic relationship. It would be an unfortunate end to their entire relationship. He was sure that, when the spell was broken, Trunks would want nothing more to do with Goten, and, well, perhaps that was fair.

He was not sure he could bear it though.

---------

"Good morning, Goten," Trunks said softly, smiling as the sunlight leaked through the Venetian blinds, having woken up minutes after Goten. _Eleven days, eleven days_ crept through Goten's mind, and since the day he woke up alone and realized that he had precious little time left with Trunks, he resolved to sleep next to him every night until he no longer could.

"Morning," replied Goten, returning the smile as best he could.

"What do you want to do today?"

"I was thinking of going downtown and getting something."

"Great, when?" Trunks asked, throwing off the covers and getting up.

"Well, umm... I need to go alone."

"Alone?" Trunks peeked over his shoulder at Goten and sat back down on the edge of the bed.

"Yeah, it's a... surprise," Goten invented quickly.

"Oh," he replied with a quickly widening smile. "Gotcha." And with a peck on Goten's cheek, Trunks stood back up and stretched.

Goten smiled a little sadly. "What'll you do while I'm gone?"

"Actually, today might be a good day to do something I've been meaning to do for a while."

"What's that?" said Goten, sitting up himself.

"I'm gonna come out to Mom and Dad."

Goten gasped. "You what?"

"I'm gonna tell Mom and Dad. I love you, Goten," he said, sitting back down on the edge of the bed. "And I want everyone to know."

"Uh-h," replied Goten dumbly.

"I totally understand if you're not comfortable with telling people yet, sweetheart. But it's burning up in my chest. I have to."

"I... don't think that's such a good idea, honey," he replied awkwardly, having never seriously called Trunks (or anyone) "honey" before.

Trunks cocked an eyebrow, "Sure it is, 'Ten. I know Dad can be a little rough around the edges, but I know Mom's cool with it, she has gay friends. It may take a little getting used to, her son liking guys, or at least one guy," he winked at Goten, "but..."

"Trunks, no, don't. At least, wait for a couple of weeks..."

"Wait?" Trunks smiled at him incredulously. "I've waited for too long, Goten."

And Goten gave up trying to convince him. Trunks kissed Goten, smiled, and left the room. This simply made his mission today all the more important. He would have to track down the gypsy and find more of this magical love potion. He got out of bed, stretched, and got ready for his adventure downtown.

---------

However, after hours of moving up and down the streets of downtown and pestering passersby, Goten discovered there was little chance of even finding anyone who had been downtown that Valentine's Day, let alone knew about the tent. His chances of finding the gypsy seemed to be shrinking by the minute.

Goten was sure he would find her, he was sure that he and Trunks being together was their destiny. But destiny, Goten laughed darkly to himself, was for people who play with candle wax and Tarot cards.

And then it hit him -- the Wal-Mart cashier had her own booth, too! Perhaps she would know something about her!

He drove quickly to Wal-Mart; the cashier would surely be there. And thankfully, in the last check-out aisle, she was. There were several people in the aisle, and though he tried to cut ahead to talk directly to her, the man in the front, buying a large quantity of TV dinners, complained about him cutting, and Goten resigned himself to the end of the line. After about fifteen minutes, he reached her. "Tina," he saw her name was.

"Listen," he began.  
"Where are your items, sir?" Tina asked monotonously.

"I don't have any."

"Well, this line is for paying customers only, next."

Goten quickly grabbed a pack of gum and handed it to her.

"I have to ask you about the Valentine's Day set-up downtown."

She scanned the gum and said, "Twenty-eight cents, what about it?"

"Do you know where the--" he stopped himself from saying gypsy, as he had called her in his head, "woman is who sold the potions and... things?" he asked, handing her a dollar.

"Oh, Shirley?" she responded, giving him change. Goten jumped back a little. Shirley wasn't a very gypsylike name to him. "Yeah, she's there every year. I don't know where she comes from, but she's there every Valentine's Day, right as rain. Lent me some beads and coins and made my hair look like a real gypsy!" she laughed.

Goten smiled back, but then it faded from his face. "But you don't know where she is now?"

She shook her head, "Nah, she won't be back till next year. I expect she leaves so that she doesn't get a barrage of complaints about her crazy drinks and whatchamacallits not working. Listen, do you want a bag for this?" she asked holding up the gum.

Goten shook his head and took it from her, shoving it in his pocket, and left.

---------

When he returned to Trunks's house that night, Goten found Trunks lying back in bed, watching television. He sat up when Goten came in, beaming and asking "What'd you get me?"

"Hmm?"

"My surprise! What'd you get me?"

"Oh," he replied, reaching absentmindedly into his pockets and producing the gum, throwing it to Trunks.

"A pack of gum?" he asked, cocking an eyebrow.

Goten shrugged and replied, "They can't all be winners." Trunks laughed a little and immediately opened it.

"So, what did your parents say?" Goten asked, sitting down on the edge of the bed.

"Hmm?" Trunks replied thickly, through gum.

"Your parents?"

"Oh, I didn't tell them. I could tell you didn't want me to..."

And all at once, Goten broke down, crying into Trunks's chest. Trunks's gum-smacking abruptly stopped as he wrapped his arms around his boyfriend, and he asked, "What is it, Goten? What's wrong?"  
Goten lifted his head and wiped away the tears that stained his cheeks. He then stood up, while Trunks stayed on the bed. "Trunks...," he began.

"What is it?" Trunks asked nervously.

"I did something horrible, and I can't even think of how to tell you."  
"Goten, you can tell me."

Goten took a deep breath and wiped away another tear. "Okay," he said, closing his eyes and trembling slightly, before opening them and continuing. "Okay, on Valentine's Day, I went downtown and... and there was this woman there."

Trunks did not interrupt Goten's story with a "go on," he merely looked, waiting for Goten to continue at his own pace.

"And, well, she was selling all these things, and," Goten laughed in spite of himself, "And there was this love potion."

Trunks nodded, requesting Goten to continue.

"And, well, I thought, you know, as a laugh, I'd get some and give it to you. I mean, not as a joke!" Goten added quickly. "I mean, I really like you and...," he took a deep breath, "I really like you. And I hated that you didn't like me the same way. She was a very convincing gypsy," he said, desperately trying to find some way to pass off the blame. "And, well, yeah, I got some and I gave it to you, and, well, ... I think it worked."  
Trunks waited for Goten to keep going, but when he did not, he finally spoke. "Goten, trust me. I love you. I do. It's not because of this... potion or whatever. It's you."

And Goten, despite not believing a word of this, had worn out all of his energy in his confession, and merely sat down next to Trunks and nodded, burying his face into Trunks's chest.

And the ten days after that could not be truly enjoyed, as they were taken with the hopelessness one associates with a death sentence.

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End Chapter 2.

To come in Chapter 3: The spell is broken! How will Trunks react? What will Goten do? How will things work out? Oh, the suspense!


	3. Chapter 3

Disclaimer: Believe it or not, I still don't own Dragonball Z or any of its characters.

Chapter 3

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And the next morning the spell was broken. Goten woke up early and lay awake, drinking in the last fleeting moments he would be able to look at his Trunks. Right when the sunlight, leaking in as it always did, hit his eyelids, Trunks fluttered awake.

"Aw man," he said, smacking his lips thickly, "I feel like shit. I'm gonna lie down a little bit longer, okay?" He turned away from Goten.

Goten shook where he lay. "Trunks," he said but nothing came out. He cleared his throat, and Trunks looked over. "What?" he asked, a little harshly, and Goten replied, "Nothing!" before thinking. Trunks pulled the covers back over himself.

About half an hour later, Trunks sat up and turned to Goten, who was still lying down. "Wake up, lazybones," he said, shaking Goten, whose eyes were wide open the entire time. Goten sat up robotically. "Oh, your hair, Goten, ha ha, it looks like you slept on it funny or something?"

"What?" Goten asked. He felt it, and then looked at the bedside mirror. It looked the same as it always did.

"Did you change shampoos or something? I like the old one better."

"No…, Trunks I haven't changed my hair at all."

"Huh. Well, it's cute as always anyway," he said smiling and rubbing his hand through it to muss it up.

"T-Trunks?"

"Mmhmm?"

And Goten flung himself onto him, squeezing tightly, and awaiting Trunks's hand to knock him back, disgusted. It did not come.

"Trunks, don't you hate me?"

"Hate you? Why would I hate you, sweetheart?"

"The p-potion, it was supposed to wear off today."

Trunks released Goten at this point and stood up, hands on hips. "Did I not tell you that my love for you had nothing to do with a potion? You said you gave it to me, when, a month ago? Goten," Trunks began, holding his hand. "It's been years."

And Goten smiled up at Trunks through tears. "Years?" he squeaked.

"Yes," he said reassuringly, sitting down next to Goten. Reverting to a more natural tone of voice, he continued, "I can't remember exactly when, but it sort of gradually developed when we were twelve or thirteen, like five or six years ago. Has… has it been that long for you?"

Goten smiled, "Not quite so long, no," he said, wiping a tear out of his eye with his palm. "Valentine's Day, two years ago. Neither of us had Valentine's dates, so we just kinda hung out, knocked back a couple, and watched movies."

"Yeah, I remember," Trunks smiled, turning toward the closet to get dressed.

"That night, I guess it was the lovey-dovey atmosphere, or maybe the romantic comedies you rented that night, or something. But the moonlight played off your features in such an amazing way," he smiled to himself.

Trunks brought a hand to his face to wipe off a tear of his own before turning around with gathered enthusiasm, and asked Goten which shirt he should wear.

---------

One morning about a week later, Goten arose as though waking from a long dream. Suddenly more acutely aware of his surroundings than he remembered being for ages, he immediately looked to his left, and let out a sort of sigh of relief that Trunks was there. A small trickle of drool hung from the corner of his mouth, as it sometimes did, but Goten did not exactly find this cute. Actually, the whole scene seemed sort of sloppily put together: Trunks lay sprawled out, his skin seemed rougher, and his hair appeared to have lost some of its luster.

_Perhaps we're getting older_, Goten thought to himself, before shaking his head and reminding himself it had been a week, just a week. Careful not to wake up Trunks, he snuck off the bed, went to the bathroom, undressed and stepped into the shower.

_How strange_, he thought. _I want to go home. I don't want to be here right now._

He paused for a minute, hearing Trunks stir over the noise of the shower. _Shit, he's awake_.

And he stopped himself. "Why?" he asked aloud, though quietly enough not to be heard, "Why don't I want to see him? It's not like I'm tired of him. Am I?"

Goten completely dressed himself before approaching the half-naked Trunks sitting on the bed. Trunks greeted him with a happy "Good morning," which made Goten's stomach turn strangely, as if from an ex to whom he never spoke. Goten was even a little repulsed by the idea of touching him, and considered asking him to put on clothes, before responding with a simple "You too."

Trunks got up and made to peck him on the cheek, but Goten backed up to dodge his advance. "Oh," said Trunks with a sly smile. "Is that how we're going to play it?" Trunks quickly grabbed Goten's wrists and pinned him onto the bed.

"No, Trunks…" Goten squeaked out.

"Mmm, I love it when you beg, sweetie," he replied, laying light kisses across his face.

"Stop it…"

Trunks purred in response and began working his way lower, lightly biting Goten's neck, and Goten felt a lurch in his stomach that made its way to his eyes. Trunks looked up and saw the tears beginning to form, and stopped at once.

"Sweetie, are you okay?"

Goten backed away from him on the bed. "Yeah, yeah, I'm just… not in the mood, I guess."

Trunks sat for a minute looking back and forth at the bedspread and Goten, as if trying to work something out or remember something. Goten shifted uncomfortably, at how bad he surely made Trunks feel, but there was something wrong. He then looked at the calendar on his wall, and Goten followed his eyes.

Trunks returned his gaze to the bedspread, and asked how Goten felt, without making eye contact.

"Umm… fine," he lied.

"Really fine? How do you feel about me?"

"Good, I guess."  
Trunks sighed, maintaining his gaze on the bedspread. "Can you kiss me?"

Goten's eyes darted around for a second before quickly making up his mind and kissing Trunks on the lips. His lips were dry and cracked and there was a distinct smell of morning breath seeping between them. Something about the entire kiss seemed off. Goten kept his eyes closed and forced himself to pull away slowly, for it to appear not to be a chore.

"How was it?" Trunks asked slowly.

"Good," Goten lied again. He hated having to do all of this lying.

"Better than, say, yesterday?"

"Well, I would say not, but you haven't brushed your teeth yet, and I…"

"Goten, I gave you love potion."

Goten stopped immediately and looked at Trunks, let out a nervous chuckle and said, "What?"

"I gave you love potion. The same damn love potion you gave me from the same damn Valentine's Day tent and Shirley the crazy gypsy lady."

Goten could not believe it to be true, but he had never said anything about Shirley or where he got the potion, and so he must have known, "But how… I mean, I've liked you for years."

Trunks nodded, close to tears now, "I've been giving it to you for years now. I have been hard in love with you for five or six years now, and one Valentine's Day a couple years ago I got ridiculously drunk, wandered downtown, and bought up just about everything in sight. Including like three bottles of Shirley's love potion. I'm pretty talkative when I'm drunk so I told her all about you, and how I've been all in love with you for a few years, and she assured me it would do the trick. Of course, she could've sold an Eskimo a refrigerator in the condition I was in.

"And well, I could tell it worked, pretty much right off. It was almost like your eyes changed color, and you seemed to fumble around me a lot more, like you were trying to impress. We stopped sparring to avoid embarrassing situations. And, I know it's selfish, but I wanted a Goten that could love me the way I love him.

"So, after realizing it was working, but still not having the balls to pursue anything without some sure sign—you kept yourself pretty secretive, I must say—I took the remaining bottles down to the lab, had it analyzed and dissected, and was eventually able to make my own. And so, on Fridays, during our beer and movie nights, I've been sneaking it into your drink.

"And," he stopped a second before continuing, "Well, last Valentine's Day, I saw that you had… had done the same for me. I saw the empty love potion vial in the garbage, and took that as the sign I've been waiting for. And…, when you told me about it, I took that as a sign that our love _does _run deeper than the potion. And, already about two weeks since I had last given you some, I decided not to give you anymore. I was so sure, I'm so sorry," finished Trunks, a couple of tears gradually rolling down his nose.

Goten, still a little repulsed by the messiness of the new Trunks, or the old Trunks, lay a friendly hand on his back.

"Trunks," he began. "You know I can't blame you. I did the same thing. I know what it's like to feel so desperate for that reciprocation, even if it was all artificial and imagined." Goten sighed, fearing the conversation was taking a bad turn. "Listen, Trunks, as it stands, I don't feel the same way about you that you do about me. I'm actually a little surprised it's so strikingly and suddenly clear to me. There's honestly no spark, no chemistry.

"But this last month has been about the best of my life. I truly cherished this time." Trunks winced, and Goten assumed it was at his use of the past tense. "Really, I don't know how I'll be happy without you, and I think it's also clear you won't be happy without me." He pauses and Trunks nods.

"So," Goten said smiling, as though answering a question, "let's watch a movie. Could _you_ get me a beer?"

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End.


End file.
